Thursday, December 17, 2015

In 1979 The Jones Girls "You Gonna Make Me Love
Somebody Else" showed Gamble and Huff still had the magic touch. The
classic went top ten on Billboards' R&B and Disco Charts. However, lead
singer Shirley Jones and sisters Brenda and Valorie were not new to the game.
Gospel singer Mary Frazier Jones groomed her daughters unique harmonies when
they were babies in their hometown Detroit. By the time Shirley and her sisters
signed with Philadelphia International Records, they were teenage veterans.

The
Jones Girls traveled the world for several years as fellow Detroiter Diana
Ross' back up singers. Ross even let the girls shine with their own spot where
they sang "If I Ever Lose This Heaven". Diana Ross told Gamble and
Huff The Jones Girls were too good to be anybody's back-up singers forever.
Those Philly years provided Shirley and her sisters with a string of hits. They
include "Who Can I Run To", "I Just Love The Man",
"Dance Turned Into A Romance" and their Grammy-Nominated classic
"Nights Over Egypt". After a brief unsuccessful stay at RCA Records, the Jones Girls decided to take a hiatus. Brenda got married and Valorie
entered college. But Shirley still wanted to sing. She returned to Philadelphia
International Records in 1985 as a solo artist. Shirleys' 1986 Debut album
"Always In The Mood" proved she could handle the spotlight alone. Her
1986 classic "Do You Get Enough Love" stayed number one on Billboards
R&B Chart for Three weeks!!!" Do You Get Enough Love" proved to be
prophetic.

Shirley married and started a new career raising her son Cameron. He
is now 26 and over 6'7" tall. Shirley has already hit the stage again
touring with The O'Jays in 2011, Lakeside, Zapp and Confunkshun. Recently
Shirley appeared in London at the famed Indigo 2 to a sold out crowd, along
with Jean Carne and Gwen McCrae. Her current single Because You Love Me
released in Europe on December 12th 2014 on Expansion is already a top ten
record. Shirleys New Album My Time To Shine will be released in October 2015,
It contains a duet with the late, great Mel Waiters and a remake of I'm At Your
Mercy, a Jones Gils classic, super duet with Lacee. Shirley will surely
entertain you Old school style with class and superb musicianship. Take a trip
down memory lane with Shirley and the songs she and her sisters made famous, a
time of Love and just pure fun. ~ CD Universe

This release is a very special collection of tracks recorded
by the boogie-woogie master Jools Holland in collaboration with the
astoundingly soulful Ruby Turner. Jools Holland & Ruby Turner will feature
a selection of the duo’s favorite songs performed together in addition to a
number of newly recorded tracks on this one off album. Jools Holland and Ruby
Turner first met 22 years ago when Jools was looking for singers to join his
big band. Ruby’s voice matched her big personality and the two soon became dear
friends. Describing Ruby as the sister he never had, Jools even invited the singer
to perform at his wedding. The duo have gone on to write music together and
travelled the world with tours alongside the rest of the much-loved big band. The
album which celebrates Jools 20th anniversary on Warner Music will include The
Informer, Jumpin’ In The Morning, Jumpin’ At The Jubilee plus new songs that
the pair specifically love performing live including Peace In The Valley, Same
Old Heart, To Love A Child and festival track The Christmas Song. ~ Amazon

PEGGY LEE - LIVE IN LONDON

Universal Music will celebrate a landmark moment in musical
history with the release of ‘Live In London’ by Peggy Lee. This will be
available in a deluxe box and will feature 4 discs: 3 CDs plus 1 DVD. CD1 is
the original studio album ‘Peggy’; CD2 is ‘Peggy Lee Live In London’ recorded
on March 13th ’77 at the London Palladium. Both are available on CD in their
entirety for the first time. CD3 ‘Afterglow’ is a fascinating collection of
some previously unreleased material including the entire second London
Palladium concert from March 20th ‘77, some songs Lee recorded in rehearsal at
the Palladium and some extra songs from the London studio sessions. The bonus
DVD will feature a BBC live special from ’81 entitled ‘Peggy Lee Entertains’.
The package will also include extensive sleevenotes by producer Ken Barnes, who
oversaw the creation of this release but sadly passed away in August of 2015. ~
Amazon

MINISTRY OF SOUND: WHEN COOL WAS KING (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

This Christmas Ministry of Sound is excited to present (drum
roll please)… When Cool Was King, a selection of the coolest timeless classics
which have defined history and continue to live on as loved and appreciated as
ever. This is a selection of songs which are integral to the world we live in,
a breath-taking compilation that promises to leave you spell bound. This
release boasts a star studded line up from the original Kings and Queens of
cool, to modern day heroines of music. Including legends such as Dean Martin,
Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Etta James, James Brown and of course Frank
Sinatra - a man who needs no introduction. These idols feature alongside worldwide
superstars such a Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones and Amy Winehouse. It has to be said, it would be simply
impossible to dream up a better roster than this! This really is the best
accompaniment to Christmas 2015. This special offering promises to take you on
a rollercoaster of emotion, with huge swing soundtracks alongside heartfelt
love songs and big band anthems. It truly is music that moves you… in every
sense of the word! We are supporting this huge album with an incredible ad
creative shot in NYC. This is the quintessential big band swing album - When
Cool Was King, from Ministry of Sound. ~Amazon

An insanely
wonderful set from Sean Khan – maybe the greatest music he's done since his
early classics with the SK Radicals! This album really takes us back to a time
when music from London was completely fresh and exciting, and cosmically
soulful, too – and Sean's got help from some great singers on the record who
also date from that era – including the mighty Omar, plus Sabrina Malheiros,
and vocalist Heidi Vogel of Cinematic Orchestra! All three of these artists
really flesh out the sound of the record – and make it every bit as much of a
soul record as a set that's awash in all the great reed touches and jazzy bits
we'd expect from Sean. Andy Noble's also on the record, playing some
wonderfully warm piano lines – and the overall instrumentation has more
acoustic elements than before, which makes for a very righteous vibe
throughout! Titles include "Dance For Little Emily",
"Muriel", "Samba Para Florence", "Sister Soul",
"What Has Jazz Become", "Trane's Shadow", "Don't Let
The Sun Go Down", and "Fire Within" – plus bonus remix tracks
"Don't Let The Sun Go Down (4Hero rmx)", "Samba Para Florence
(Henry Wu rmx)", and "Things To Say (Ben Hauke rmx)". ~ Dusty
Groove

Having
already seen DJ support from Gilles Peterson, Osunalde, Michael Ruetten, Toshio
Matsuura, Jazzcat and many more, the next 12" from the world's only
all-star Brazilian disco super-group, has been tweaked to the max by NYC legend
and pioneer of the remix John Morales. The Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra's
blissful modern disco cut 'Step Into My Life' - arranged by Brazilian maestros
Arthur Verocai and Jose Roberto Bertrami - has been given the M&M treatment
and pressed to a juicy fat 12" vinyl, poised to rip the roof off your
local discotheque.

INDIA.ARIE & JOE SAMPLE - CHRISTMAS WITH FRIENDS

A really special Holiday album from India Arie – one that not
only has the singer's vocals set up amidst some warm jazzy backings from
keyboardist Joe Sample – but which also opens up to include guest performances
by a host of contemporaries – including Brandy, Tori Kelly, Kem, Dave Koz,
Trombone Shorty, Kirk Whalum, and others! The album's got a relatively intimate
vibe – nicely laidback arrangements from Sample, who's getting nicely less
smooth in his later years, and turns out to be a great accompanist for a singer
– as on his work with Lalah Hathaway or Randy Crawford. The added talents step
in nicely, in a relatively uncluttered way – almost like guests stopping by for
a Christmas celebration – and titles include "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen",
"Favorite Time Of Year", "Let It Snow", "Mary Did You
Know", "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", and "Merry
Christmas Baby". ~ Dusty
Groove

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

A brilliant
musical project from the Moserobie jazz underground of Sweden – one that brings
together four completely wonderful players, but in ways that are very different
than most of their work in other settings! The sound here is very open and
spacious – not in a mellow way, or an ECM mode – but instead this really
introspective approach to the properties of the musicians' individual instruments
– almost as if they're using this project as a way to thoughtfully explore
things from different sonic angles, sometimes with a surprisingly sensitive
vibe. Yet there's also some nice currents of darkness in the music – things are
definitely never too sweet – and surprises include some piano from both Jonas
Kullhammar and Torbjorn Zetterberg – alongside Zetterberg's more familiar bass
(both electric and acoustic), and Kullhamar's music on tenor, flute, baritone,
and oboe. Guitarist Reine Fiske also plays piano on one track – and guitar on
the others – and the group also features drums from Johan Holmegard. Titles
include "Gardagens Visa", "Vesaaltonen",
"Paroni", "Mellantillstand", "Notskals Musik 1",
and "Keijsaren". ~ Dusty
Groove

ROB TARDICK
- MOMENTS

Tardik’s
well-received new offering is comprised of all original material inspired by
the pivotal moments in his life, songs that he wrote and produced with
accomplished collaborators Steve Oliver, Nate Harasim and Gabriel Mark
Hasselbach. Noted saxmen Will Donato and Walle Larsson are each featured on a
pair of tracks. While the first single from “Moments” - the relentless
Latin-singed fiesta starter “Sip and Salsa” - continues to garner airplay, a
second single will be selected and serviced to radio stations after the New
Year. Reviewers have embraced the “Moments’” songs, versatility and the
highly-skilled work on display as well.

ROLF KUHN –
STEREO

Really great
work from Rolf Kuhn – the German reedman who began making modern music during
that nation's postwar scene – and who's continued to remain on the forefront of
innovation as the decades have moved on! This set is a great illustration of
Kuhn's commitment to new sounds and fresh ideas – a quartet date with a group
of younger players who open up in all these amazing textures and rhythms
alongside Rolf's clarinet – a compelling group with guitar, bass and drums –
all used with as much sense of freedom as the clarinet! While other players of
Kuhn's vintage might be content to lay back and return to tradition, Rolf turns
out a record that stands next to his most inspired classics of the 60s and 70s
– on titles that include "District 7", "Black Jasmine",
"A Little Circus", "Shogun", "Open Windows",
"Goodbye", and "Husky".
~ Dusty Groove

Some of the
most beautiful, personal work we've heard from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith in
many years – a wonderful set of duets with bassist John Lindberg – done at a
level that recalls some of Smith's most organic, most spiritual sounds of the
70s! There's a real back to basics vibe here – a return to the initial spirit
of the AACM, something we possibly infer from the album's long tribute to
Malachi Favors, but which we can also feel in the spirit of collaboration
between Smith and Lindberg – a way of coming together that never overwhelms the
individual, yet also never allows one individual to ever upstage the other – as
the duo reach out brilliantly for a breathtaking range of sounds, on titles
that include "Malachi Favors Maghostut A Monarch Of Creative Music",
"Celestial Weather Suite", and "Feathers & Earth". ~ Dusty Groove

GILSON
PERANZZETTA / AMOY RIBAS – REPERCUTINDO

A hell of a
wonderful record from legendary Brazilian pianist Gilson Peranzzetta – an
artist we've loved since his crucial 70s MPB arrangements – working here with
younger percussionist Amoy Ribas, who turns in some especially great work on
vibes! The music just comes from the pair – Gilson on acoustic piano throughout
– and Amoy on vibes and lots of percussion – both working together in these styles
that are complicated, but constantly grooving too – that blend of infectious
rhythms and melodic sophistication we love in so much Brazilian music from
years back, like work by Hermeto Pascoal or Edu Lobo, distilled here down to an
essence that's completely sublime! Many tracks have both vibes and percussion
overdubbed – a perfect blend for the dynamic colors that seem to leap forward
from Gilson's hands with an almost effortless quality – and the production is
wonderful, with a core rootsy quality that makes the whole thing feel a lot
more vintage than contemporary. Titles include "Luiz Eca E Pra Voce",
"Fator RH", "Repercutindo", "Croa De Um
Jongueiro", "Paz", "Entre Rios", and "La Vai O Cara". ~ Dusty Groove

THE NEW
MASTERSOUNDS – MADE FOR PLEASURE

The New
Mastersounds are definitely made for pleasure – at least to our funk-sensitive
ears – as the group's been giving us nothing but greatness since the turn of
the millenium, with no sign of stopping at all! That boundless energy is
apparent right from the very first note on this sweet little record – a very
tight, very fierce set that has the group cutting even sharper rhythms than
before – all laced with superb guitar from the mighty Eddie Roberts, and
equally at home with gritty funky 45 styles as with 70s blacksploitation funk!
Many numbers feature an added tenor or trumpet, or both – with some nice solos
to fill out the instrumental passages – and the set only features a bit of
vocals from Charly Lowry on a few tracks. Titles include "High &
Wide", "Cigar Time", "Joy", "Sitting On My
Knees", "Made For Pleasure", "Tranquilo", and
"Just Gotta Run". ~ Dusty
Groove

Way more
than just a box set of the key albums from the all-too-short career of Amy
Winehouse – as this massive package also features a wealth of rarities and live
tracks – most making their vinyl debut in this limited collection! The set
leads off with Frank – the stunning debut from UK soul singer Amy Winehouse – a
vocalist with a sound that's instantly captivating, and which will be with us
for years! Amy's clearly cut her chops in jazz, but also has a laidback and
soulful personality – easily shifting between modes for the right mood of each
song, without any of the pretensions that would ruin an album like this.

The
backings have a proud stepping feel that fits well with tunes like "In My
Bed", "What Is It About Men", "F*ck Me Pumps", and
"You Sent Me Flying" – really keeping Amy's spirit fresh throughout
the whole set! Next is Back to Black – an incredible album from Amy Winehouse –
even way better than her fantastic debut! Although a contemporary soul album,
this one's steeped in tradition – soul styles that run the gamut from Detroit
down to Kingston, and which are carried off here with a rougher, sharper-edged
sound than before! The instrumentation on here is really mindblowing – almost
at a Motown level, with isolated instruments really crackling out from the
fuller backings – all set to rhythms that snap and bounce, and are almost a bit
funky at times.

Credit is definitely due to producers Mark Ronson and Salaam
Remi – but Amy's vocals are really tremendous too – classic, but really
personal and fresh! Titles include "Rehab", "Just Friends",
"Back To Black", "Love Is A Losing Game", "He Can Only
Hold Her", "Some Unholy War", and "Me & Mr Jones".
Next is Lioness Hidden Treasures – a (sadly) posthumous release from Amy
Winehouse – a voice we loved for a couple good years before knowing how
troubled she was in real life and now lament the loss of – and this set,
largely put together by producer Salaam Remi turned out surprisingly well! It'd
be pretty easy to bow to cynicism, but for our money, there's more than enough
strong stuff here. It features production by Remi, plus Mark Ronson on a couple
tracks, and it's a mix of styles that ably demonstrate Amy's depth as an
interpreter.

There's some great, kinda late night jazzy soul numbers, classic
level 60s R&B and thoroughly modern hip hop soul – all with strong vocal
performances from Amy. Includes "Our Day Will Come", "Between
The Cheats", "Tears Dry (Original Version)", "Will You
Still Love Me Tomorrow (2011)", "Like Smoke" feat Nas (and some
eerily timely lyricism, as of this album's release date), "Valerie ('68
Version)", "Half Time", "The Girl From Ipanema",
"Half Time", "Body & Soul" with Tony Bennett, "A
Song For You" and more. Next is the 2LP set Live In London – the vinyl
debut of material from the DVD of the same name – with titles that incclude
"Just Friends", "Cherry", "Back To Black",
"Wake Up Alone", "Tears Dry On Their Own", "He Can
Only Hold Her/Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Valerie",
"Rehab", "Me & Mr Jones", "Monkey Man" and
more. Last is the album Rarities – which features three tracks from BBC
Sessions, four tracks from the iTunes festival in 2006, two tracks from Live At
T In The Park in 2004, and a few more live tracks too! (Limited numbered
edition.)~ Dusty Groove

A tribute to
the legendary Martinho Da Vila – served up in a sparkling samba mode that does
way more than just go back to the roots, and instead really opens up these
tunes with a fresh, personal sense of interpretation! The instrumentation
blends classic percussion with some sweet electric guitar lines – used
sparingly, but in a different way than acoustic strings – never commercial, but
with a nice edge that makes the music groove beautifully as Ana brings her
soulful vocals into play! The set features guest appearances from Mart'Nalia,
Marcelinho Moreira, Zelia Duncan, Alceu Maia, Agriao, and others – and titles
include "Meu Lairaira", "Fazendo As Malas", "Pelos
Caminhos Do Som", "Semba Dos Ancestrais", "Ex Amor",
"Canta Canta Minha Gente", and "Madalena Do Jucu". ~ Dusty Groove

CHICO
HAMILTON - PASSIN’ THRU / MAN FROM TWO WORLDS

Two Chico Hamilton
treasures – back to back on a single CD! Passin Thru is wonderful work from one
of Chico Hamilton's greatest groups! The record features Chico's quintet with
Charles Lloyd on tenor and flute, Gabor Szabo on guitar, the great (and
under-recorded) Al Stinson on bass and George Bohannon on trombone – and the
tracks have that spaced out, slightly-Spanish tinge that Chico was crafting
during his trippier years at Impulse. Szabo's guitar is a key element of this
sound – but you can't discount Chico's amazingly open approach to the drums,
and his freewheeling manner of spinning out a lively dancing rhythm. Titles
include "Lady Gabor", "El Toro", "Passin Thru",
and "Lonesome Child". Man From Two Worlds is a pivotal album for
Chico – one that has him working with his hip group that included Charles Lloyd
and Gabor Szabo, both of whom take Chico into a modal mode that would
completely transform his sound! Lloyd's the center star on the album's version
of his own "Forest Flower" – done here in "sunrise" and
"sunset" passages – but it's really Chico's increasingly offbeat
sense of rhythm that allows Lloyd and Szabo to develop their intense solos and
searching grooves. Other titles include "Mallet Dance", "Love
Song To A Baby", "Man From Two Worlds", and "Child's Play". ~ Dusty Groove

JOHNNY
HAMMOND – GEARS

One of our
favorite albums of all time – and a record that just gets better and better the
more we listen to it – and we've listened to it for years! Johnny
"Hammond" Smith began his career as a simple soul jazz organist – but
by the time of this album, he'd teamed up with the mighty Larry Mizell, the
genius arranger/producer who'd breathed new life into the careers of Donald
Byrd and Bobbi Humphrey. Mizell works with Hammond in the same way he does with
other jazz artists – by taking a groove that works best with their solo style,
and slowly layering other instrumentation and effects on top of it, so that
when the solo kicks in, it's supported on waves and waves of funky sounds and
soulful grooves. Mizell and his brother Fonce both play keyboards on the record,
and the rest of the group includes monster fusion players like Harvey Mason,
Roger Glenn, Hadley Caliman, and Jerry Peters. The real treat is Johnny, though
– as his solos are heavenly, the best of his 70s work, stripped mean and lean,
laid in at just the right points. Includes the breakbeat classic "Shifting
Gears", the house classic "Los Conquistadores Chocolates", and
funky numbers "Fantasy" and "Tell Me What To Do". This
stunning version adds in some killer bonus tracks – 6 never-heard cuts from the
Milestone vaults, including "Song For My Family", "Funky
Native", "Detroit Rainbow", "Can't We Smile (alt)",
and slow and fast versions of "A Child's Love". ~ Dusty Groove

World-renowned
trombonist, composer, arranger, and producer John Fedchock has earned a GRAMMY
nomination in the category “Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella” for
his arrangement of “You and The Night and The Music” from his August 2015 MAMA
Records release Like It Is. The
recording is the fifth album for the 16-piece John Fedchock New York Big Band
and Fedchock’s eigth as a leader.

This
pristinely recorded studio session showcases Fedchock’s compelling compositions
and arrangements as well as the band’s exceptional musicianship. The group,
which has been together for over two decades and recorded four previous
releases on Reservoir, sets the standard for modern, post-swing large
ensembles. This is Fedchock’s second
GRAMMY nomination.

“Being a
GRAMMY nominee is an incredible honor,” says Fedchock. “And as an arranger, it
is a special thrill having my work recognized alongside that of the leading
writers in the field today. I feel very fortunate.”

Born in
Cleveland, Ohio, John Fedchock began his career in 1980 as a jazz trombonist
with the legendary Woody Herman Orchestra, serving as featured soloist, musical
director and chief arranger for Herman's last two Grammy nominated albums. Herman said of Fedchock, "He's my right
hand man. Everything I ask of John he accomplishes, and I ask a lot. He's a
major talent." Fedchock has also toured with Gerry Mulligan, T.S. Monk,
Louie Bellson, and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and has performed as a featured
soloist, composer and conductor around the world.

The Grammy
Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, February 15, 2016, in Los Angeles.
For a complete list of nominees for the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards go to
http://www.grammy.com/nominees

There’s a
wealth of family and cultural pride amidst the serious jazz grooves on Darren
Barrett’s newly released seventh album, “Trumpet Vibes.” For the first time in
his award-winning career, the trumpeter-composer-producer explores his Jamaican
roots on a recording project. Adeptly, the Boston-based artist from Toronto
introduces good-time reggae rhythms and frenzied ska beats native to his
parents’ Caribbean homeland to hard bop and swinging jazz on the eight-song set
that he produced and wrote four new compositions.

A
charismatic companion to engage in meaningful discourse and occasionally play
foe to his astute trumpet play, Barrett selected the vibraphone to share the
spotlight as a featured “voice” throughout the session, with noted vibes
soloist Warren Wolf guesting on a pair of tracks to participate in
improvisational banter with a young trio comprised of vibist Simon Mouillier
and brothers Alexander and Anthony Toth on bass and drums respectively. Also of
significance is that Barrett opens the session by saluting his late mentor,
trumpet great Donald Byrd, on the chirpy swinger “Fly Little Bird.” Interesting
to hear him ply the jazz-meets-reggae motif to pop gems such as the regal “To
Sir With Love” and amorous overtures like David Gates’ “Everything I Own” and Stevie
Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour.” Barrett shines on his own compelling compositions,
including the moody and murky “Chiapas”; the deliberate “Song For A Princess,”
on which he takes his time – nearly seven minutes - to bop and blow while
cruising a laidback island wave; “Phantom dB” that gets a jarring jolt of rock
& roll drumming and some dissonant trumpet distortion; and the slightly
more conventional straight-ahead jazz foray “The Club Up The Street” that wraps
the disc.

When not
working on his own craft, Barrett is developing the next generation of jazz
musicians as an educator at the esteemed Berklee College of Music, which is
where he recruited the dynamic backing trio on “Trumpet Vibes.” Winner of the
prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 1997, Barrett has
played or recorded with hall of famers Roy Hargrove, Elvin Jones, Wayne Shorter
and Herbie Hancock as well as Grammy-winning neo jazz adventurist Esperanza
Spaulding.

Emitting an
abundance of light on the front and back covers, contemporary jazz keyboardist
Mark Etheredge describes his forthcoming “Connected” as the happiest album he’s
ever made. Listening to the ten-song Vipaka Records release produced by
two-time GRAMMY® winner Paul Brown, the upbeat melodies and optimistic grooves
are spirit-raisers, written by a man who is quite comfortable in his own skin.
But the inspiration behind the project that is scheduled for release February
26, 2016 is anything but comfy. While growing up, the tall and gawky Etheredge
was bullied. He felt alone and disconnected. One of four boys born to a father
who was a minister, Etheredge grew up singing and playing in church yet as he
discovered his sexual identity, he felt further isolated. He was different and
he knew it.

“I had a deep feeling of being disconnected
from humanity. Later, I realized that these feelings were all in my head. We
are all connected in this world, and what we do affects each other. ‘Connected’
is a celebration of our human connection - across geography, race, language,
class, gender, sexual orientation and beliefs,” said Etheredge. "I've
wanted to make an album like this for a long time. Working with Paul Brown and
the high caliber of musicians was a real treat for me, and I'm thrilled to share
this album with listeners."

While most
of the tunes on “Connected” offer a treasure trove of lilting piano and
keyboard harmonies, the tension is palpable on “Lost In The Shuffle,” an
instrumental account of Etheredge’s bullied past provoked by Brown’s menacing
electric guitar and horn section stabs from saxophonist Greg Vail and trumpeter
Lee Thornburg. It took decades before Etheredge could feel at ease composing a
soaring affirmation like “Be Who You Are.” Championing our differences and
connectivity, the disc’s deep-pocketed title track will be the first single
shipped to radio after the New Year for airplay.

The urbane outing produced to sound
live also makes room for the lighthearted with the carefree romantic romp
“Groovin’ With My Baby”; the rousing “For Your Love” highlighting ace guitarist
Chuck Loeb (Fourplay); the
frivolously-titled “Bing Bang Boom,” which packs an explosive wallop along with
combustible Latin sounds; and incorporates R&B and gospel into the mix with
Andy Suzuki’s soul-stirring tenor sax appeals as Etheredge demonstrates his
proficiency on the Hammond B3 and Wurlitzer on “Soul Clap Honey.”

Throughout
the album, drummer Gorden Campbell, bassist Roberto Vally and percussionist
Richie Garcia form a taut rhythm section from which Etheredge’s nimble and
vibrant piano and keyboard melodies leap to the fore, bolstered by Brown’s
guitar prowess.

“Connected”
denotes a return to instrumental music for Etheredge following 2012’s adult
contemporary vocal session “Change Coming,” which was driven by “The One,” a
single graced with backing vocals from dance music diva Jeanie Tracy that
received international airplay. His debut date, “As Dawn,” was a New Age record
released at the height of the genre’s commercial power and reissued in 2010.
“Connected” is Etheredge’s first collection recorded in Los Angeles after his
relocation from the Bay Area two years ago, leaving a job in the tech space to
fully focus on following his musical muse.

“I realized
I wanted to do something more meaningful, make a more positive impact on the
world and share my passion for music,” said Etheredge, who will be performing
at album release concerts at Spaghettini near Los Angeles on February 28 and at
Bay Area jazz club Angelicas on March 19.

The life of
a jazz musician tends to be an itinerant one. While traveling the world over
the past three decades, trumpeter/composer Jim Rotondi has formed a tenuous
definition of the word "home" - sometimes it can mean a permanent
residence, sometimes just a welcoming room for a few nights' performances once
or twice a year. On his latest album, Dark Blue, (due out March 4 via Smoke
Sessions Records), Rotondi offers a musical travelogue of some of the places
he's been privileged to call home.

"I find
new homes all the time," Rotondi says. "New places that I end up
revisiting a lot, where I get very close to the people there. It's a very
rewarding thing that musicians get to enjoy that people in other walks of life
usually don't, unfortunately."

While the
title track doesn't refer to any place in particular, it's a vivid description
of one of the ever-changing locations where Rotondi feels most at home: his
band. "Dark Blue" evokes the mood of this particular quintet, a
first-time conglomeration that brings together collaborators both old and new.
The all-star line-up of hard-bop stalwarts includes old friends David Hazeltine
(piano) and Joe Locke (vibes) as well as new additions to Rotondi's discography
in David Wong (bass) and Carl Allen (drums).

Rotondi
refers to Hazeltine as "my brother," a close collaborator throughout
many of the trumpeter's bands, including the collective sextet One For All. The
versatile Locke has also been a frequent sideman, who Rotondi praises as being
able to "do so many different things that when you ask him to be a part of
a project, you get three people for the price of one."

Allen's
involvement realizes a long-time dream for Rotondi, who first heard the veteran
drummer playing with two of his heroes, Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw. Wong,
while younger than his bandmates, has been recognized as a torchbearer for the
tradition by his involvement with Jimmy Heath and the Heath Brothers, Benny
Green, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

The grand
tour begins with the bright, darting melody of "In Graz," written in
honor of the city where Rotondi has lived for the past five years, since being
named a Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts
in Graz, Austria. Upon his arrival, the faculty asked him to perform a concert
of his own music, inspiring this piece. "I wanted it to have a lot of
energy to commemorate my change in locale and life direction," Rotondi
explains. "Needless to say I was sad about leaving my musical brothers and
sisters and the vibe of New York City, but my arrival here in Graz was a very
positive change in my life."

Rotondi's
newfound European roots have grown deeper recently, since he and his wife
purchased a home in the small French town which gives its name to the tune
"Le Crest." The song is a stealthy blues that only gradually reveals
itself, prompted by their yearlong search for the perfect house. "We got
to this place and looked out on the valley from the balcony and knew that was
it right," Rotondi recalls.

How much
time Rotondi will be able to spend in either of these homes is always up in the
air given his busy touring schedule. Two of his homes away from home are
memorialized in "B.C." and "Biru Kurasai." The former
refers to the Canadian province of British Columbia, for which Rotondi holds
especially warm memories. His first visit to the city of Vancouver was
scheduled for the days just after the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
Despite the uncertainty of the time and the sudden changes in air travel,
Rotondi decided to take the trip anyway. "It turned out to be such a great
experience on so many levels: the people were so happy that I went and gave me
such a great welcome that I ended up going back once or twice a year for many
years."

"Biru
Kurasai" pays homage to another friendly audience: Japanese jazz fans. As
memorable as it is, the tune had a hurried birth: Rotondi and saxophonist Eric
Alexander huddled in a recording studio break room, trying to come up with one
more composition for a session led by drummer Joe Farnsworth. The result became
a bandstand favorite, and translates as "I would like a beer please"
- perhaps an apt sentiment for its against-the-clock inception.

"Going
to the Sun" looks farther back, to Rotondi's childhood in Montana, where
he was raised by a piano teacher mother who insisted that each of her five
children learn an instrument. When not practicing, the family spent their
summers on a lake near Glacial National Park. Going-to-the-Sun Road winds through
the park's scenic interior for more than 50 miles, crossing the Continental
Divide.

After
studying at the University of North Texas, Rotondi made his way to New York
City in 1987, embarking on a fruitful 23-year career on the city's hectic jazz
scene. That home receives a nod via Hazeltine's "Highline," named for
the vibrant park built on the remains of an abandoned elevated rail line.
Hazeltine also provided the arrangement for "Our Day Will Come," a
version of the '60s pop hit that Rotondi remembers the pianist calling during
one of their earliest engagements together.

The album is
filled out by two other covers: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley's "Pure
Imagination," from "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,"
and "Monk's Mood." The latter can be seen as a stop on the album's
tour only in the sense that Monk is a creative island unto himself, and Rotondi
offers a gorgeous read of one of the legendary pianist's most beloved
compositions; while the former offers an abstract stop in the realm of the imaginary,
a place that all of the music on Rotondi's scintillating and engaging new album
Dark Blue can safely call home.

After two
albums that emphasized the composing side of his ever-burgeoning art, Oscar
Perez - who JazzTimes has described as "a pianist of impeccable technique
and fluency" - presents his "blowing" side with the album
Prepare a Place for Me, which he calls "a real playing record." To be
released October 13, 2015, by Myna Records, the album sees the native New
Yorker team with the rhythm duo of bassist Thomson Kneeland and drummer
Alvester Garnett, plus alto saxophonist Bruce Williams on five of the nine
tracks.

Perez and
company essay seven of the pianist's glittering, grooving originals, as well as
an intoxicating, flamenco-tinged recasting of Thelonious Monk's "Round
Midnight" and a lovely interpretation of the Hoagy Carmichael ballad
"The Nearness of You." Reviewing his septet album Afropean Affair in
2011, JazzTimes praised Perez as "an extraordinary composer who blends the
rhythmic complexity of Latin American music with the elegant harmonies of
jazz," while DownBeat chimed in by marveling over the music's
"wondrous interaction of piano and band." With Williams, Kneeland and
Garnett alongside, Perez will play album-release shows on October 8 at Trumpets
in Montclair, NJ, as well as on October 26 at Cornelia Street Café in
Manhattan.

Perez - a
protégé of Danilo Perez and Sir Roland Hanna - won 2nd prize in the venerable
Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition in Florida last year, with his personal
rendition of "The Nearness of You" standing out. "I've always
considered myself a composer as much as a player," he says. "But I
played the competition and wanted to make playing the focus of my next album.
Recording with cats I've performed live with for awhile was really important to
the feel of this record. There's a lot of listening and interplay in the trio
with Thomson and Alvester - the music tends to simmer, with solos developing in
a slow burn. Bruce is a kindred spirit, too, and his playing tends to push the
harmony, but in a soulful way."

Prepare a
Place for Me kicks off with a straight-ahead jazz version of "Just
Everything," an engaging Perez tune originally cast as a Spanish-titled
bolero ("Solamente Todo") on his quintet debut album, Nuevo Comienzo,
from 2005. The album's originals also include the aptly titled "Snake
Charm" and Williams-led swinger "Headin' Over" (with Perez's
writing on that tune influenced by Cedar Walton), as well as the intricate
"Message to Monterey." Then there are "Prepare a Place for
Me," the absorbing, gospel-inspired title track, and "Mushroom
City," which is built on an infectious Brazilian baiao groove. Perez's
personal favorite is the closer "Song for Ofelia," about which the
pianist says: "It has a special place in my heart. I wrote it after the
passing of my grandmother Ofelia Betancur. She was the matriarch of the entire
family and showed incredible strength through many of life's difficulties. My
daughter Ofelia has her same spirit."

Throughout
Prepare a Place for Me, Perez's playing sparkles and dances with melodic
interest and rhythmic verve, intertwined with his bass/drum partners and the
long-breathed lines of Williams. About their interaction, the pianist says:
"When you're younger, you're out to impress with your playing, aiming to
turn heads. But now I feel that the emphasis is on just making the music all it
can be - not concentrating on sounding as impressive as possible as an
individual but on trying to make the other players sound great. I want the vibe
to be as communal as can be, and I think that's when music - especially jazz
improvisation - thrives."

Pianist-composer
Oscar Perez was raised in Queens, NY, on his father's Cuban folk music, with
piano lessons and playing in the church band a key part of his young life. He
attended New York's "Fame" academy of LaGuardia High School for the Performing
Arts, studying with classical teachers. He later graduated from the Jazz
Performance program at the University of North Florida, already composing there
for small groups and big band. His fascination with the beautiful energy of
Latin music took him to New England Conservatory in Boston to study with Danilo
Perez, an enduring influence. Oscar completed his Master's Degree at the Aaron
Copland School of Music at Queens College, studying there with Sir Roland
Hanna. While at Queens College, he married his love of jazz improvisation with
the classical piano literature. Perez's early twenties saw him share stages
with such jazz icons as Bunky Green, George Russell, Curtis Fuller and George
Garzone.

Since moving
back to the New York area, Perez has spent recent years on the road with such
jazz confreres as trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, bassist Christian McBride,
trumpeter Eddie Allen, saxophonist Mike Lee, trombonist Steve Turre, guitarist
Dave Stryker, vocalists Melissa Walker and Charenee Wade, and saxophonist
Adrian Cunningham. Perez also toured as a pianist for vocalist Phoebe Snow,
performing in such top pop venues as The Theatre at Madison Square Garden and
Webster Hall. He has served as music director for St Edward's Church in Harlem.
His longstanding commitment to church music has been embodied in the gospel
music he explores as accompanist for the Nightingale/Bamford Gospel Choir.
Perez has toured across North America, Latin America and Europe, as well as
through Russia.

A devoted
educator, Perez joins the Jazz Piano faculty at New Jersey's Montclair State
University this fall. He has had close associations with the Kupferberg Center
at Queens College, Juilliard School, Carnegie Hall, New York Pops, JazzHouse
Kids and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He received a 2006 ASCAP/IAJE Commission in
honor of Billy Strayhorn, with Perez's group featuring alto saxophonist Antonio
Hart premiering the work at the 2007 International Association of Jazz
Education Convention. In 2014, Perez won Second Prize in the Jacksonville Jazz
Piano Competition.

Perez's
debut album, Nuevo Comienzo (2007), featured a New York quintet featuring such
special guests as trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and guitarist Peter Bernstein,
with the leader's compositions blending Latin music and jazz in innovative
arrangements. The pianist's second album, Afropean Affair (2011), was the
result of a New Works Grant by Chamber Music America for an extended
composition to be performed by his septet Oscar Perez Nuevo Comienzo. Balancing
poise and power, the group features Stacy Dillard (tenor and soprano
saxophone), Greg Glassman (trumpet and flugelhorn), Anthony Perez (bass),
Emiliano Valerio (percussion), Jerome Jennings (drums) and Charenee Wade
(vocals).

World-renowned
Minnesota-born, New York-based composer/orchestra leader Maria Schneider has
produced another Grammy-nominated CD, The Thompson Fields, nominated for Best
Large Jazz Ensemble.

The album
spotlights many of today's most gifted instrumentalists, including tenor
saxophonist, Donny McCaslin, who is singled out this year with his own Grammy
nomination for his solo on Schneider's composition, "Arbiters of
Evolution."Schneider
has received yet another Grammy-nomination for Best Arrangement, Instruments
and Vocals, for her work with David Bowie on the song, "Sue (Or in a
Season of Crime.)" Released in
November of 2014, this single on Bowie's career-spanning compilation CD,
Nothing Has Changed also featured Donny McCaslin on tenor – and McCaslin's work
with Bowie has continued. Just this
month, Bowie released the first single, "Blackstar," that will be on
a full album by the same name that largely features McCaslin. That recording
will be released January 8th, 2016.

Schneider is
one of the rare musicians to win a Grammy in both jazz and classical
categories. Her album Winter Morning
Walks received three "Classical" Grammy Awards in 2013 for Best
Contemporary Classical Composition (Winter Morning Walks), Best Classical Vocal
Solo (Dawn Upshaw) and Best Engineered Album, Classical (David Frost, Brian
Losch & Tim Martyn, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer).

Schneider
also received a 2007-Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition for
"Cerulean Skies." In 2004,
Schneider made history with her first Grammy for Concert In the Garden, the
first album with Internet-only sales to receive a Grammy. The album was released through ArtistShare,
the first Internet-crowd-funding label/site in existence. And significantly, Concert In the Garden was
also the first "crowd-funded" album to win a Grammy, before the term
"crowd-funding" was even invented.
At that time, ArtistShare had labeled it "fan-funding."
Schneider has continued to "fan-fund" her recordings and commissions
ever since.

Inspired by
her success through ArtistShare where she maintains control and ownership of
her work, Schneider has become a strong advocate for music creators and
performers, having testified before the Congressional Subcommittee on
Intellectual Property in April of 2014, and also speaking out against Spotify
and streaming in general, on CNN.

Legendary
& award winning melodic drummer, Terry Bozzio is releasing worldwide, what
he calls a “Life's Work” project of Art & Music on the Japanese label Ward
Records in December 2015. Bozzio is embarking on a world tour to promote it
starting in Japan and Europe in the fall of 2015 & continuing throughout
the US & other territories in 2016. Terry has worked with Frank Zappa, Jeff
Beck, Korn, UK, Missing Persons, Mick Jagger, Robbie Robertson, Alan
Holdsworth, Tony Levin, Steve Vai, Quincy Jones, Ken Scott, Metropole Orkest,
SMAP, Loudness' Munetaka Higuchi & “X” Japan's Hide - as well as Film score
composers Basil Poledouris, Mark Isham & Patrick O'Hearn - see more at www.terrybozzio.com
- Grammy winner, RockWalk Honoree, Modern Drummer magazine's Hall of Fame
Award, Rolling Stone's Top 5 Drummers of All Time!

Says Bozzio,
“I've been composing, (not just song writing, like for Missing Persons &
Jeff Beck) since the '70s. I compose in all styles (as one might classify
them), from classical to ambient, electronic, film-like to fusion/rock or jazz.
I have my own character or personality, it's unique. I work with many different
processes from writing notes on paper, to recording live, to several different
computer software applications I may use, that are suited to the particular
result I am trying to achieve. Both Zappa & famed musicologist Nicolas
Slonimsky encouraged me to compose & I have had my Chamberworks performed
at the Vienna Jazz Festival & in Holland w/Metropol Orkest.”

He
continued, “I first got interested in Art & Sketching at the encouragement
of renowned artist Don Van Vliet (aka: Captain Beefheart) who I played with on
my first Zappa/Mothers of Invention tour in 1975. Don was always carrying
markers & paper & it looked like fun, so I bought some myself &
started. He was very encouraging. Last year, I released my first project called
Rhythm & Sketch in collaboration with the art group Scene Four. It's been
successful & inspired me to do more. (available at www.terrybozzioart.com)”

Terry Bozzio
fulfilled a major 2 &1/2 month US solo tour in 2014 in which he displayed
his art as a stage set while performing melodic, tuned melodies on his
strikingly large drum set, to sold out crowds.

“I thought
it would be great to share this music which I’ve been working on & keeping
to myself for so long. I hope to show a different side of my expression from
what people are used to seeing from my solo drumming. And, I wanted to have an
abstract painting to represent & be paired with each title to create this
hybrid project of music & art,” Bozzio explained.

The
“Composer Series” contains 59 individual pieces or movements of compositions
with a painting in a booklet for each title, along with detailed liner notes
for each piece, explaining his concepts, feelings, process and approach for
each. It will be available in a deluxe hard-cover artbook which includes Terry
Bozzio’s hand drawn illustrations and commentary for each piece, audio CDs
& a solo drum performance Blu-Ray shot in Japan in 2015 (w/bonus footage),
192kHz/24bit Hi-Res audio of the 59 pieces on Blu-ray and a bonus DVD including
60min talk session of Terry Bozzio with Masa Ito. The material will also be
made available in CD/DVD or 4CD/Blu-ray for record stores, as well as in many
or individual downloadable

Daina Shukis
is a multi-faceted performer who’s catalogue consists of various flavors of
music from the new wave pop art culture that spans from Rock, Pop, Jazz and
middle eastern accents. “Smooth and
Jazzy” is just another testament of how genres can be blended and how dance
enhances its essence.

Diana Shukis
captures the core message in each song she approaches with an inimitable style
all her own. Having influences that span from Jazz, rock, funk and country,
Shukis brings her originality to the forefront.
”Daina and the Tribe" has been her signature band that she has
performed with for years back in the New York City area in such notable clubs
as the Bottom Line (opening for James Cotton), The Lone Star (opening for Jaco
Pastorious) and CBGB's.

For the past
few years, Daina has combed through the maze of some of her best performances
and has created a vintage catalogue that will live throughout the ages. “The one thing that I remember most about my
performances with the Tribe was how the audiences would participate in our
performances, with accents of chants and musical praise” says Shukis. On her recently released album “Smooth and
Jazzy”, which is comprised of her favorites songs, she chose to remix the tune
“Movie Show’ as her latest single from the compilation giving it a modern slant
on today’s music scene, creating a new audience that appreciates the blending
of these musical styles.

“I am
delighted to bring you this album with many cuts from the beginning of the new
wave pop art culture in New York City in such a top-grade audio recording. I look forward to performing these songs and
new material in the near future with great anticipation. It is an exciting time for me to launch a
comeback with old friends and new musical ideas. The older jazz and blues singers still out
there on the road are a great inspiration. Wish me luck! says Daina.

More
recently, Shukis has incorporated a few songs embracing our American roots with
a Patsy Cline tribute into her set, where she shares how Patsy influenced her
vocal style by performing originals on guitar and piano at the end of every
set. To date, she has produced five
albums from her vintage catalogue, one instrumental album, "Mystic
Rendezvous" with Daina and the Tribe, on which Daina plays impressionist
compositions on synthesizer. Her latest
addition to her catalogue is a sure fire compilation that will not only
capsulate her eclectic mix of sound but a vintage musical history that stands
the test of time. “Smooth and Jazzy” has
been picked to be in rotation on her radio station on Pandora and she is ranked
#1 in Jazz on Reverberation in Port Richey, Florida.

“Daina is a
very unique spirit, known for her love of cultural flare in her writing and
performances derived from the Middle East, Greek, Turkish and Arabic
music. In her vintage videos you can
clearly see how she skillfully executes her choreographic pieces when she took
the stage with a serious intention toward excellence in her craft, not only in
dance but visually through her authentic costumes that ranged from tribal art
painted on her body to classic rock looks. Her vocals stem from a bluesy, rock
feel with jazz flavorings and tribal chants, her performance puts you in a
trance that takes you on her eclectic improvisational journey of song and
percussive presentation” says Jaijai Jackson of The Jazz Network Worldwide.

At this
stage in Shukis’s career, having so much performance memories in her musical
arsenal, she is now presenting a “looking back” journey, story-telling of her
many escapades through her New York days with some of the best musicians on the
planet. From the likes of Jeremy Steig,
Don Alias, Eddie Gomez, Ray Mantilla, Jimmy Madison, Jerome Harris, Paul
Ramsey, Dan Wall, Tom Coppolla, Judy Niemack, Marvin Horne, Greg Carter, Butch
Campell, Lee Finklestein and Bill Washer who are all performing with her on new
release “Smooth and Jazzy”. She brings a fervor of heart to her upcoming
performance schedule and offering musical memories that only she can tell. This
choice of performance once again allows for the new audience to find themselves
in her music and to walk away with an impression that will be a memory etched
by musical history.

Looking to
bring her musical story-telling to worldwide stages, big and small, from intimate
to large venues with her musical potpourri will be sure to please the most
eclectic of musical tastes from jazz to rock, funk, country and beyond.

Nicolas
Bearde Invitation Nicolas Bearde is a San Francisco Bay Area treasure. As a
charter member of Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra ensemble as well as the innovative
vocal sextet SoVoSó, he's long been internationally recognized as a versatile
and fearless vocal improviser, charismatic performer, and distinctive jazz and
soul stylist.

While Bearde
has drawn on his love for both R&B and jazz on his previous four CDs,
Invitation, the singer's fifth release on his own Right Groove Records label,
is his first entirely straight-ahead set of songs. Produced largely by renowned
pianist/arranger Nat Adderley Jr., Invitation will be released January 29.

"Nat
has a way of starting you in a different direction," says Bearde of
Adderley, who spent nearly 20 years as music director for Luther Vandross and
grew up in a deeply musical family including his cornetist father Nat Sr. and
his alto saxophonist uncle Cannonball. "He has a way of voicing chords
that is so very musical. You don't have to hear the melody to hear the melody
within the chords. We found that during rehearsal of this new material. I
thought, this is probably the most beautiful way I've ever heard these
songs."

The relaxed
phrasing and depth of feeling that Bearde brings to such standards as
"Nature Boy," "Lush Life," and "Save Your Love for
Me" and to a rarely heard vocal version of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden
Voyage" place him firmly in the tradition of such deep-voiced greats as
Billy Eckstine, Al Hibbler, Arthur Prysock, Johnny Hartman, Bill Henderson, Lou
Rawls, and Jon Lucien.

Seven of the
tracks were recorded in East Orange, New Jersey, or Brooklyn, New York, with
Adderley on piano, Belden Bullock or Kenny Davis on bass, and Vincent Ector or
Rocky Bryant on drums, and, on three tracks, alto saxophonist Vincent Herring,
considered by many to be Cannonball Adderley's foremost stylistic disciple.
"I Want to Talk About You" was produced in Oakland by the late Bud
Spangler with pianist John R. Burr, bassist John Wiitala, drummer Akira Tana,
and tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz. "Maiden Voyage" was produced in
San Francisco by Bearde and Peter Horvath, who played piano in the company of
bassist Gary Brown, drummer Leon Joyce Jr., and percussionist Peter Michael
Escovedo.

Bearde was
introduced to Adderley nearly three years ago while appearing at Trumpets in
Montclair, New Jersey. The club's owner recommended that Bearde call Adderley,
who lived in the neighborhood, about the possibility of their working together
at his next Trumpets engagement.

"Nat
said 'Send me the music and info, let's hear what you do,'" says Bearde.
"So I sent him three albums' worth of material, and he called back and said,
'Where have you been? Why don't people know who you are? Of course I'll work
with you.'"

Nashville
native Nicolas Bearde, who's been based in the San Francisco Bay Area since the
1970s, has worked extensively as an actor for stage, screen, and television and
as a voice-over artist in addition to his vocal pursuits. By the mid-1980s,
he'd hooked up with Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra, and when McFerrin decided to
take a break from the group in the mid-'90s, Bearde and other members branched
off into a smaller a cappella unit called SoVoSó, which included Molly Holm,
Linda Tillery, Rhiannon, Joey Blake, David Worm, and Edgardo Cambon. "We
followed in the improvisational tradition of Voicestra, but added more gospel,
Latin, and R&B elements," he says.

Bearde
maintains a busy touring schedule. He has appeared at the Russian River Jazz
Festival, San Jose Festival, Salt Lake City Jazz Festival, Usadba Jazz Festival
in Russia, and Minsk Jazz Festival in Belarus, as well as such clubs as Yoshi's
in both Oakland and San Francisco, B.B. King's and Café Cordial in Los Angeles,
and the abovementioned Trumpets.

Besides
being a master singer, Bearde has distinguished himself as an actor. Since
taking part in Juke Box, a 1986 radio play starring Danny Glover, he has
appeared in such films as True Crime, Final Analysis, and Pacific Heights; on
television in Monk, Henry Lee, Nash Bridges, and Baby Snatcher; on the stage in
Flying West, Two Trains Running, Full Moon, Twelfth Night, American Song, and
Master Harold...and the Boys; and in commercials for the California Lottery,
Chrysler, Orchard Supply Hardware, and Verizon.

Bearde has
released four albums through his Right Groove imprint: Crossing the Line
(1998), All About Love (2004), Live at Yoshi's: A Salute to Lou [Rawls] (2008),
and Visions (2013). Connoisseurs of fine jazz singing will be thankful to hear
him in the uncompromising context of Invitation.

Nicolas
Bearde will be performing two CD release shows in the Bay Area: Saturday 3/5 at
Café Stritch in San Jose and Saturday 3/26 at the Sound Room in Oakland.